a landable guide
The cheapest US cities to buy a home, ranked by median home price. No minimum quality filter, the full unfiltered list.
By Karol Gajda
This is the unfiltered version of the home-buying guide. No walkability minimum, no pleasant-days floor, just the cities where you can buy a home for the least money. A few of them will surprise you.
Blurbs surface the actual median home price and stay honest about the tradeoffs. A low price does not always mean low quality, but it does not guarantee high quality either, and the ranking says so plainly.
01
Photo by Michael Bowman on Unsplash
OH · 808k metro
Dayton is the cheapest on the list: a median home price of just $139k, with $1,321 rent and a metro of 808k. The lowest entry point here.
$139k
median home price
$1,321
median rent / month
808k
metro residents
02
Photo by Bearded Texan Travels on Pexels
LA · 383k metro
Shreveport comes in second-cheapest at $176k median home price, $1,308 rent. Hard to beat on raw cost of entry.
$176k
median home price
$1,308
median rent / month
383k
metro residents
03
AL · 412k metro
Mobile takes third on price: $194k median home, $1,302 rent, metro of 412k.
$194k
median home price
$1,302
median rent / month
412k
metro residents
04
Photo by Leo Escala on Unsplash
OH · 600k metro
Toledo keeps it cheap with a $196k median home price and $1,197 rent across a metro of 600k.
$196k
median home price
$1,197
median rent / month
600k
metro residents
05
Photo by Gage LaVergne on Pexels
LA · 414k metro
Lafayette lands mid-list on cost: $200k median home price, $1,332 rent. Affordable, with the usual caveat that low price often tracks lower demand.
$200k
median home price
$1,332
median rent / month
414k
metro residents
06
Photo by Jerel Coles on Unsplash
GA · 329k metro
Columbus holds a $208k median home price and $1,264 rent. A genuine bargain if the local job market and population trend fit your plan.
$208k
median home price
$1,264
median rent / month
329k
metro residents
07
Photo by Talena Reese on Pexels
TX · 360k metro
Lubbock clears the bar at $211k median home price, $1,384 rent, metro of 360k.
$211k
median home price
$1,384
median rent / month
360k
metro residents
08
Photo by Ibbi Sweets on Pexels
AL · 385k metro
Montgomery stays cheap to buy at $212k median home price, though it is worth weighing what that price reflects.
$212k
median home price
$1,376
median rent / month
385k
metro residents
09
Photo by American Jael on Unsplash
KS · 653k metro
Wichita lands near the bottom of the ten and still buys low: $221k median home price, $1,173 rent.
$221k
median home price
$1,173
median rent / month
653k
metro residents
10
Photo by Hameen Reynolds on Unsplash
TX · 446k metro
Corpus Christi rounds out the cheapest cities: $221k median home price, $1,410 rent, metro of 446k.
$221k
median home price
$1,410
median rent / month
446k
metro residents
We sort by median home price (Zillow ZHVI), cheapest first, with no quality filter and no rent cap. The composite weights (70% affordability) break ties among similarly priced cities.
find your own top 10
run your numbers